Japan’s evolving DIET

ANY CONVERSATION at home about the National Diet is likely to trigger an argument about the appropriateness of pairing imported cod from Newfoundland, Canada, with the ackee fruit reportedly imported to the Caribbean from Ghana before 1725. That ackee pays everlasting tribute to Captain William Bligh, by way of its scientific name Blighiasapida, and, combined with the Canadian cod, results in ackee and salt fish, Jamaica’s national dish.

But recently, in Tokyo, Japan, during a presentation by Dr Eiichi Miyashiro, a senior reporter with the

Asahi Shimbun newspaper and a distinguished member of the Foreign Press Center Japan, the National Diet turned out to require a different discussion.

Things were proceeding smoothly, as well they might given the circumstances, with Dr Miyashiro bringing the 2019 cohort of the Association for Promoting International Cooperation Japan Journalism Fellowship up to speed on the Imperial Family, Imperial Palace and Ceremonial Settings, ahead of the recent ascension ceremony/parade by the new emperor.

The first time Dr Miyashiro spoke about “convocation of the diet”, I let it slide. It was his mention of “proclamation of the general election of members of the diet” which led to my enquiry through an interpreter whether or not something had been lost in the translation.

VOTING SYSTEM

Not at all, the esteemed scholar assured me, going on to explain that the National Diet is in fact Japan’s bicameral legislature, consisting of a lower house, which is the House of Representatives and an Upper House. Both houses of the Diet are directly related under parallel voting systems. In addition to passing laws, the diet is formally responsible for selection of the prime minister and was first convened as the Imperial Diet in 1889.

Since then, it has undergone significant changes but, still for all, the much-needed civics lessons notwithstanding, courtesy of Dr Miyashari, a scholar and gentleman who served up so much food for thought, every time I heard about the National Diet while in Japan, I couldn’t stop thinking sushi, fried rice, noodles, fish and soup.